Tag Archives: Disney

Blizzard Clean-up

Day 178 in my quest to meet Mickey

Today was the day after.  We got 20+ inches of snow, and for northern Illinois that’s a lot to get at once.  We were buried here and didn’t get dug out until this afternoon.  So my plan for today was to work from home and not lose a day of work.  Luckily I brought some work home yesterday after church just in case.  Anyway, mission accomplished. I had a very productive work day by using a link to my work computer.  Gotta love modern technology!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

 

MagicBand Mischief

Day 172 in my ruminations on all things Disney as I wait to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom.  (8 months and 16 days to go!)

I’m so excited to get home today.  When I ordered MagicBands for everyone for Christmas, I was careful to order a different color for each of us.  When I attempted to register our MagicBands on My Disney Experience, the green band would not register.  I called the powers-that-be to find out what to do.  They had me call the Disney Store people to straighten it out.  I was instructed to throw away the unregistered band, as they would send me a new one.  Now, it has arrived.  So today when I get home I will register this last band.  That’s my plan for today.

I do realize that this whole thing has been an exercise in futility, as Old Key West will ship us bands with our names in them, and they are the ones we will use on the trip.  [I found that out when I called Disney.  🙂 ]  However, it can’t hurt to each have a back-up band, right?  And besides its been fun to do a little research on My Disney Experience.

So glad this trip is actually scheduled now and coming up this year!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I have lost the half pound that I had gained back, and a bit more.  My body has definitely slowed down, and I contribute it to January!  Oh, well,  I will keep on going just the same.

A Date with a Mermaid

Day 168 in my quest to meet up with Mickey

Today my plan is to spend some quality time with The Little Mermaid.  This is my chosen Disney movie for the week.  It has been an extremely stressful week, so I am taking a little down time when I get home from work today and kicking back with one of my favorite Disney films.  The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake…

Nothing too major today.  But I will stay sugar-free and will prepare a warm, healthy meal for us tonight.  I think maybe Surprise Package Casserole.  I hope you get to chill after work today, too.  TGIF!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Life Gets in the Way

Day 167 in my planning to be healthier when I meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom (8 months and 21 days to go)

Confession time: I have not been very active lately.  I have been sitting through most of my day at work; then I have been going home and sitting to watch TV.  I blame it on the January blahs.  The skies have been gray for days, the weather cold and damp, and worst of all Christmas is over.  I know.  I can just hear you saying, “Get over it!”  Believe me, I’ve said it to myself over and over again.

Now here’s the conundrum: if I was exercising, I would feel better about all if this (exercise is an instant mood exhancer) AND I would be using the best tool possible to fight the stress at work.  Doh!  Can you say, “sabotage?’

My plan for the day was to be more active.  Every hour I wanted to get up and move around for five minutes, just to keep the blood pumping.  And if any opportunities came up to pitch in and get physical to help anyone out, I wanted to be on board.

I did OK with getting up and moving for a bit every hour.  But there came a huge opportunity to help out three people who were setting up the Fellowship Hall at church for a funeral luncheon on Saturday.  I wanted to be there.  I wanted to grab that job and run with it.  However, my plate was very full at work today.  I had to:

  1. finish and run Sunday’s bulletins and announcements, and then stuff the announcements into the bulletins
  2. finish and print 250 funeral bulletins
  3. finish and print the February newsletter, stuff the newsletter with two inserts, fold the newsletters and seal them with tape
  4. label the newsletter and prepare for mailing.

So today, life got in the way of my plan.  I’ve heard it said, “God laughs when we make plans.”  I think he may have had a chuckle today at my expense.  As tough as that is to take, I kind of like the idea of making God smile.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

It’s a Matter of Portions

Day 166 in my run toward meeting my favorite mouse, Mickey (8 months and 22 days to go!)

Today’s plan is to be more aware of portion control.  Too much of a good thing…well, is not such a good thing.  🙂  I think my portions have been inching up again.  So today I am going to pay particular attention to the portion sizes in all my meals and snacks.

My mom was an English war bride from WWII.  Her sister Phyllis visited us often and was a delight to spend time with.  Every time she was in the U.S., she would mention the massive portion sizes.  “No wonder everyone is so full blown here.  You people eat too much.”  I love her!  And she is basically right.  According to FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) 68.5% of American adults are overweight or obese.  34.9% of American adults are obese.  Something is just not right here, folks.  Between portions sizes and caloric make up of the foods we eat and lack of physical exercise , many of us have the balance wrong.

So today I will think on these things and determine to become more aware of them everyday in my life.  No one is going to do this for me.  I have to take control on my body.  I have to move it through space.  I have to feed it the right fuel in the right amount.  I know, I know, it sounds like me…me…me.  But really I need to love myself enough to stay on this.  I need to love myself, so that I can love others in the same manner, a healthier manner.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Craving

Day 165 in my journey to meet Mickey

Today I am craving sugar something fierce!  I want sweets in the worst way: cake pops from Starbucks or Dunkin’s doughnuts or  even a tasty cupcake from Walgreen’s.  I want sugar!

So…my plan for today is to just say, “NO!”  I won’t give in to sugar.  Not today.  I can fight it for today.  I am hoping against all hope that this craving passes soon.

I am a bit down today.  Having just lost a treasured friend, and having to prepare her funeral bulletin in my role as church secretary, has me a bit blue.  Even the weather is gray and unforgiving today.  My usual M.O. is to eat my feelings away.  It’s what made me the big girl that I am today.  If I eat enough sugar, then I just don’t care about things enough to hurt.

This is a new way of life.  This experiencing and walking through my feelings without medicating (in my case with sugar) is still very new to me.  But I know it is a healthier way to live.  I want this way of life.  I want to quit avoiding, and learn to face life as it comes.  It’s tough, but I really believe it is doable with the help of God.

Peace to you all, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

Capital “L” for Loser

Day 164 in my rambling on as I wait to meet Mickey

I took a Disney quiz on Facebook today.  There were 10 questions on Disney movies.  For every question there were three true statements and one false statement.  I thought it would be a piece of cake.  (mmmmm…cake…)  Anyway, I took the quiz and bombed every question.  I did not get a single right answer.  Unbelievable!  The law of averages says I could have guessed at least one correct answer, right?  Nope.  Bomb-ola, ma-dola!

So today’s plan is to study up!  I have to find out more about this thing called Disney.  I am going to commit to watching at least one Disney movie a week until our trip to Walt Disney World in October.  I’m going to watch with purpose and determination to get myself juiced up and excited about all that I will experience on our trip.  I’ll consider it research and I’ll enjoy every minute.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW:  Still staying sugar-free.  What a trip!

Deconstructing Christmas

Day 161 in my chores to get ready to meet Mickey

Today’s plan was to take care of my least favorite task of the year.  Worse than figuring out our taxes, worse than scrubbing the toilet, worse than driving to or from work in a blizzard.  Today I took down our Christmas decorations.  It’s always a drag.

I love the colors of the Christmas tree lights and my special light-up wreath on cold winter evenings.  I love the emotions that they elicit in me.  When I come home from work and put on the lights, I am in one of my happy places.  *sigh*

Now I need to focus on another of my happy places, so I keep on keeping on getting ready for Florida in October.  I have a physical reaction when I get into our room at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.  It is a home away from home, and I can feel the stress of daily life ebb away once I’m there.

So goodbye Christmas, and hello New Year, new me.  (Well, I’ll still be me, but you know what I mean.)

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Planning for Success

Day 158 in my tasty travels to meet Mickey at Walt Disney World

Today’s plan is to get back to some serious menu planning.  I need to get back to lean proteins, whole grains,  lower glycemic index choices, fruit and many, many vegetables.  So tonight I will plan out the next week, looking through my (low sugar) recipes.  Then I’ll put together a shopping list for this weekend.

On the menu for tonight: Weight Watcher’s Chili.  This is an old recipe that I picked up back in the 70’s.  🙂

Ingredients:

  1. 1 pound of ground turkey (or chicken or beef or soy mince)
  2. 1 small to medium chopped onion (depending on how oniony you like it)
  3. 2 to 3 cloves of chopped garlic
  4. 1 large can/bottle of tomato juice (I always pick low sodium or no salt added for juices and veg)
  5.  spices to taste (I use chili powder, red pepper, black pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram)
  6. 1 can dark red kidney beans
  7. 1 can black beans
  8. 1 can wax beans
  9. 1 can French cut green beans
  10. 1 can bean sprouts
  11. 1 can diced tomatoes
  12. 1 small can mushrooms
  • Brown the onion and garlic in a little oil
  • Add the meat and brown.  (If you use soy mince, add it after the tomato juice)
  • Add the tomato juice
  • Season with your spices of choice
  • Drain all canned veg (except diced tomatoes) and add to soup
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Then simmer for 20 minutes to an hour.

It’s so tasty!  And even better the next day.  It freezes well, so it makes several meals for Mike and I.  Yum!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Magic Band and Fastpass+

Day 157 in my researching my way to meeting up with Mickey

Today I am going to research Magic Band usage and the Fastpass+ system.  It all seems so complicated to me.  I will scrutinize the internet for articles on the Magic Band, and I found a wonderful article in WDW Magazine titled “The Perils of FastPass+”, and I plan to read it this evening. Then I want to figure out how to link our Magic Bands to our reservation.  I would like to get that done!  Then I want to find where I put our Fastpass+ choices and map out a strategy for scheduling them.  I know it’s not so important to do them in order.  It’s more important to do the busiest ones first.  I’ll have to try for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Toy Story Mania, and Kilimanjaro Safari as soon as I possibly can, because they go so quickly.

So that’s on the docket for today.

Meet you at the Kingdom!